This week, I got an official notice from my homeowners’ association:
“Replace your lawn.”
Heavy sigh.
First of all, it’s not a “lawn.”
It’s jasmine.
Soft. Green. Fragrant.
And, apparently, a Michelin-starred restaurant for the neighborhood bunnies.
Every time I plant something new, the bunnies line up like it’s Black Friday at Best Buy.
I’ve tried shooing them.
I’ve sprinkled peppermint.
I’ve thrown coffee grounds like I’m trying to open a drive-thru Starbucks in my front yard.
I’ve sprayed every rabbit-repelling potion known to man.
They always come back.
A neighbor even suggested a “final solution” that involved…well, let’s just say it would’ve required a tiny bunny cemetery and a LOT of guilt.
Hard pass.
Heavy sigh #2.
But after plotting various bunny eviction strategies, I realized something:
The bunnies weren’t just surviving — they were thriving with a level of commitment most leaders wish they could bottle.
Leadership Lessons from the Bunny Brigade:
- Passion eats obstacles for breakfast.
You can sprinkle all the deterrents you want — policies, approvals, pointless meetings — but true passion pushes through anyway.
Ask yourself:
➡️ Are my processes making it easier for people to do great work—or forcing them to fight to get anything done?
- Persistence is a compliment.
If people keep pushing even after they’re shooed, blocked, or ignored, it’s because they care.
Persistence isn’t a problem to fix — it’s a fire to fuel.
Ask yourself:
➡️ Do I treat stubbornness as resistance—or as someone fighting for something they believe in?
- Over-control kills culture.
You can enforce all the rules, spray all the “repellent,” and technically “win” — but you’ll be left with a perfect, polished workplace…
full of checked-out employees and dead ideas.
Ask yourself:
➡️ Would my team describe our culture as brave—or quiet?
- Sometimes the environment is the real issue—not the people.
I don’t have a bunny problem.
I had a lawn problem.
You might not have an employee problem.
You might have a system, communication, or a leadership problem.
Fix the soil, not the soul.
Ask yourself:
➡️ Is the problem my people—or the conditions I expect them to survive in?
In the end, I stopped fighting the bunnies.
I laid down mulch.
A small shift — and now we coexist.
Not perfect. Not flawless. But sustainable.
Maybe leadership should work the same way.
Instead of battling the people who show up hungry, scrappy, and determined, maybe build a workplace where that energy doesn’t just survive — it thrives.
Because honestly?
I’d rather have a slightly messy yard full of relentless energy than a pristine, empty lawn nobody wants to fight for.
Leadership isn’t about stopping the bunnies. It’s about growing something worth protecting.
“The role of a leader is not to come up with all the great ideas. The role of a leader is to create an environment in which great ideas can happen.”
— Simon Sinek
